Director of Data Science and Analytics

Universal Tennis Overview:

Universal Tennis is on a mission to grow the sport of tennis by connecting players globally through level-based play, innovative events and a digital marketplace. We are the largest operators of tennis events in the US via our platform. We are both a technology and tennis event company. Our innovative tools and technology make tennis better for all players and providers, with our gold-standard UTR tennis rating system at the core, powering level-based play around the globe. We proudly operate the UTR Pro Tennis Tour globally to support aspiring pro players and provide new pathways for competitive juniors. To learn more, visit www.universaltennis.com.

The Company is Silicon Valley based, high-growth and backed by some of the leading investors in tennis, sports, technology and media, including Amazon; Tennis Channel / Sinclair; Ken Hao (Chairman, Silver Lake Partners); Larry Ellison (Co-founder and CTO of Oracle); TEAM8, the creator and principal owner of Laver Cup and sports company founded by Roger Federer, Tony Godsick, Ian McKinnon and Dirk Ziff; Novak Djokovic (20-time Grand Slam Champion); Tennis Australia (operators of the Australian Open); Mark Leschly (CEO of Universal Tennis, Founder & Managing Partner of Iconica Partners, Managing Partner of Rho Capital Partners); and many others.

The role:

We are looking for a talented hands-on Director of Data Science that is enthusiastic about fostering a strong data culture at our rapidly growing company. You will partner closely with the CPO and President to own the data science roadmap and lead a talented team that works hard to 1) power the most accurate tennis rating systems in the world 2) collaborate with key stakeholders to provide data-driven analysis for their decision making process and 3) engineer analytical tools and products that bring joy to our rapidly growing customer base.

In this role you will:

• Have the opportunity to be a player/coach – you will manage a team of passionate data scientists and engineers while also leading on new technical projects and data products
• Implement and monitor all operations and key performance metrics/operational efficiency for the data science team
• Design new metrics and analysis to monitor and improve the most accurate global tennis algorithms
• Develop frameworks to run A/B tests to improve in-product experience and usage
• Develop and manage the company’s performance marketing suite of metrics like CLTV, CAC for the many personas in the sport
• Collaborate with senior team on business intelligence, financial intelligence and analytics to inform results and drive product optimization
• Work with the President, CPO, CEO and business teams cross-functionally to determine goals, objectives and execution strategies
• Communicate and demonstrate the effectiveness of data-driven decision making and analysis with key stakeholders
• Recommend new technology and ideas to improve agility,

Requirements

• A wide technical understanding of data science, analytics, and reporting languages and frameworks.
• 8+ years experience in python data science environments and libraries: (numpy, pandas, sklearn, matplotlib, seaborn, statsmodels, networkx). Understanding of Python Webapps (Flask/Django) a plus.
• Excellent understanding of statistical concepts and machine learning techniques (bayesian statistics, hypothesis testing, linear/logistic regression, time-series models, tree-based models and ensembles).
• 3+ years experience working in SQL database environments: SQL Server, MySQL, Query Optimization/Performance, Schema Design. Familiarity with Azure suite a plus for ETL and Pipelines (Azure Data Factory, Azure ML Studio, Azure Batch).
• 5+ years experience managing a distributed data science team
• Preference for an entrepreneurial work environment with demonstrated ability to work in fast paced, high growth tech company with all that entails
• Strong verbal, visual, and written communication skills with the ability to explain approach to all levels in the organization including key stakeholders
• Ability to work flexibly and collaboratively with senior execs to align on roadmap, priorities, and execution timelines.
• MS/BS in a technical field required (Data Science, Computer Science, Math, Statistics, Economics, etc.).

Benefits

The Company is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, and this position can be remote with willingness to travel albeit we prefer local. We are offering a competitive salary and equity compensation package with flexible working hours and PTO, medical, dental, and vision insurance, along with long term and short term disability.